Failure To Achieve

The Failure To Achieve handout supports clinicians in working with clients experiencing common early maladaptive schemas (EMS).

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Professional version

Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Client version

Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Overview

Schema therapy suggests that psychological difficulties arise from early maladaptive schemas (EMS) and clients' responses to them, known as ‘coping styles’. This resource, Failure To Achieve, is part of the Psychology Tools Schema series and aims to assist clients and therapists in addressing common EMS.

People with a failure to achieve EMS believe that they have failed, or inevitably will fail, in valued domains of achievement such as their career, education, finances, or sporting ability (Young, 2014). They believe they are considerably less capable than their peers, labeling themselves as stupid, unsuccessful, foolish, uneducated, ignorant, or untalented (Young et al., 2003). These negative self-perceptions result in a pervasive sense of inadequacy, often accompanied by hopelessness about change.

Why Use This Resource?

This overview of the failure to achieve EMS can help:

  • Introduce key schema therapy concepts.
  • Identify schemas that are relevant to the client.
  • Explain how and why this schema manifests in people's lives.
  • Support case conceptualization and treatment planning.

Key Benefits

Context

Introduces schema therapy's conceptual foundations.

Identification

Helps clients recognize the presence of the Failure To Achieve EMS.

Insight

Offers insight into how early experiences shape ongoing psychological patterns.

Intervention

Describes some of the ways this schema can be healed.

Who is this for?

Depression

Persistent sense of inadequacy and failure resulting in low mood.

Relationship Challenges

Interpersonal challenges due to perceived failure.

Other Difficulties

Failure to achieve has been associated with addictions, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and social anxiety.

Integrating it into your practice

01

Educate

Begin by providing clients with psychoeducation about schemas in general.

02

Explore

Discuss whether clients can relate to the Failure To Achieve schema.

03

Monitor

Encourage clients to monitor for schema activation in daily life.

04

Intervene

Use cognitive, emotional, relational, and behavioral interventions to address this schema.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

Schema therapy combines several psychotherapeutic approaches within a unifying framework. Early maladaptive schemas are defined as pervasive, life-long patterns that result from unmet emotional needs in childhood.

People with a failure to achieve schema believe that have failed, or will fail, in the things they do. As a result, they might see themselves as stupid, untalented, or ignorant. People with this schema believe they are much less successful than others, which can leave them feeling inadequate or inferior.

What's inside

  • Overview of schema theory
  • In-depth explanation of the failure to achieve EMS.
  • Insights into the development and maintenance of this schema.
  • Instructions for exploring failure to achieve with clients.
Get access to this resource

FAQs

Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) are deeply entrenched, self-defeating patterns that stem from unmet emotional needs in childhood.
It provides a comprehensive understanding of the failure to achieve EMS, supporting schema identification, formulation, and treatment planning.
Yes, clinical experience suggests that this EMS often co-occurs with defectiveness schema (the client believes they are defective for failing) and the Unrelenting Standards schema (they compensate for feeling like a failure by pursuing very demanding standards).

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

The Failure To Achieve handout can improves client outcomes by:

  • Providing insight into self-defeating patterns.
  • Supporting schema identification and case conceptualization.
  • Suggesting how therapists can best support clients with this schema.

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References And Further Reading

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